Switch meshing using multiple directional spanning trees
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsShaun K. Wakumoto, Ballard C. Bare
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a packet-based switch, a method for managing data flow between the switch and other switches that are interconnected in a mesh network. The method includes receiving at the switch a topology inform packet sent from a first switch of the other switches. The topology inform packet includes at least an identifier of the first switch. The method also includes updating a link state database associated with the first switch. The link state database is configured for storing topology data pertaining to the mesh network. The method further includes forwarding the topology inform packet to at least another switch of the other switches to enable at least another switch to update a link state database associated with at least another switch.
Claims22
In a packet-based switch, a method for managing data flow between said switch and other switches that are interconnected in a mesh network, comprising:
- receiving at said switch a topology inform packet sent from a first switch of said other switches, said topology inform packet including at least an identifier of said first switch;
- at said switch, updating a link state database associated with said first switch, said link state database being configured for storing topology data pertaining to said mesh network;
- forwarding said topology inform packet to at least another switch of said other switches to enable said at least another switch to update a link state database associated with said at least another switch;
- and
- at said switch, creating a reverse spanning tree, said reverse spanning tree being created with said switch being designated a destination switch and configured to provide information pertaining to a plurality of possible paths to said switch from a given switch of said other switches.
A method for managing data flow between a plurality of switches in a packet-based network, said plurality of switches being interconnected in a mesh topology, comprising:
- sending, using a first switch, a topology inform packet that includes at least an identifier of said first switch;
- updating at the plurality of switches, using data in said topology inform packet, link state databases associated with respective ones of said plurality of switches;
- and
- at the plurality of switches, creating reverse spanning trees utilizing said link state databases, a reverse spanning tree associated with a given switch of said plurality of switches being created with said given switch being designated a destination switch and configured to provide information pertaining to a plurality of possible paths to said given switch from another switch of said plurality of switches.
A computer readable storage medium on which is embedded one or more computer programs, said one or more computer programs implementing a method of managing data flow between a switch and other switches that are interconnected in a mesh network, said one or more computer programs comprising computer readable code for:
- receiving at said switch a topology inform packet sent from a first switch of said other switches, said topology inform packet including at least an identifier of said first switch;
- updating a link state database associated with said first switch, said link state database being configured for storing topology data pertaining to said mesh network;
- forwarding said topology inform packet to at least another switch of said other switches to enable said at least another switch to update a link state database associated with said at least another switch;
- and
- creating a reverse spanning tree, said reverse spanning tree being created with said switch being designated a destination switch and configured to provide information pertaining to a plurality of possible paths to said switch from a given switch of said other switches.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.